Do I have to get a paying membership?!?!?!
Well, first off - You don't.
If you don't want to pay for a membership here, you don't have to. Seriously.
That said, the people who pay for membership help keep this site open. As such, they are our priority. At times we may have to disable some features to support our paying customers, or restrict features inherent in the software.
You do not have to pay to join the forums, post in the General Discussion areas, the Manufacturers Forums, or many of the Community sections. Certain areas, such as the For Sale forums or certain other forums are considered premium content, and as such are either restricted viewing, or have posting restricted to paying members.